Usually, a household has numerous domestic devices that can consume significant electrical power, such as domestic electrical appliances like a dishwasher, a washing machine or even a clothes drier. Such devices consume electricity irregularly according to different phases of operation. Some phases of operation are thus high consumers compared to others and lead to a consumption peak. This phenomenon is amplified when a user decides to operate several domestic devices at the same time, the electrical consumption thereof being added together. Such simultaneous operation of several energy-intensive devices then produces a consumption peak, potentially significant if the phases of operation of the different machines operating maximize the power consumed at the same instant. Such a consumption peak is often observed at the start of the evening, when an individual returning from work launches phases of operation of one or more domestic electrical devices of his or her household.
Unfortunately, the same behavior can be observed in a majority of individuals. The domestic electrical consumption peaks described above are then observed in most households, which generates a national consumption peak for the energy provider. Such a peak can be very damaging if the total power drawn by the devices exceeds the instantaneous power that can be delivered on the network by the electricity production plants which are connected to it. There is then in fact a risk of the electrical network failing, leading to an electrical power supply outage of an entire region, even a national outage. In addition to the discomfort caused to the people affected, such an outage can be the cause of significant damage, and for example result in the death of people requiring emergency medical care, or even accidents caused by substitute heating or lighting means such as carbon monoxide poisoning or fires caused by candles or open fires.
A first existing solution for reducing such consumption peaks consists in urging the user of the domestic devices not to exceed a maximum electrical consumption, as the “Ecowatt” program does in France. Similarly, the user can be urged to consume more during days or periods of the day exhibiting low overall consumption, if necessary through more advantageous tariffs such as in the context of the EDF “peak times-off-peak times” and “Tempo” contracts in France. Nevertheless, if such a solution relies primarily on the goodwill of the user, its results are very random and may require an action on the part of the user.
Other solutions limit the electrical power that can be drawn in a restrictive way, for example by imposing a consumption threshold value not to be exceeded. Such a limitation may be accompanied by a list of priority domestic devices and enforce the switching off of the non-priority devices over predefined time bands or else if this threshold value is exceeded. Nevertheless, such solutions can considerably degrade the performance levels of the devices and therefore the user experience, for example if a device is switched off abruptly right in the middle of a washing cycle.